JACKSONVILLE -- January 31, 2001 --
NASA launches its Alabama Tour featuring the Starship 2040 exhibit -- a full-sized mock-up of a
commercial spacecraft as it might look in the year 2040. NASA's seven-city tour of Alabama includes
a visit to the campus of Jacksonville State University, February 13-14.

The Alabama tour stops include universities, government institutions and communities
around the state, which have partnership roles in NASA's space transportation, propulsion
and science research programs.

High school students in grades 7 through 12 may arrange a tour of the mock-up by calling
Tina Trussell at JSU at 256-782-5972 or by e-mailing her at ttrussel@jsu.edu.

An evening lecture entitled "Building the Highway to Space" will be held on Tuesday evening, February 13th at 7:00 p.m. in the Gamecock Center. Starship 2040 isn't just science fiction--it illustrates how NASA and its partners are building "the highway to space," turning futuristic space transportation and propulsion technologies into a near-term reality.

The Starship 2040 exhibit will be on display outside Stephenson Hall and is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14th. The free exhibit allows visitors to walk through a 48-foot simulation of the spacecraft's control, passenger and engineering compartments.

Following the Alabama tour, the Starship 2040 exhibit will begin a series of nationwide public tours and visits to national-level conferences.